A’s make room for ships in ballpark plan, while port...

1of2The Oakland A’s plan for a waterfront ballpark at Howard Terminal includes a rooftop park.Photo: Bjarke Ingels Group

2of2Shipping containers rest at the Charles P. Howard Terminal, a possible location for a new Oakland Athletics baseball stadium, on Monday, Sept. 17, 2018, in Oakland, Calif.Photo: Noah Berger, Special to The Chronicle

With a bow to the shipping industry, the Oakland Port Commission is set to vote on the tentative term sheet for the A’s waterfront ballpark plan on May 13.

If approved, the A’s would have four years to complete an environmental import report and get the needed land use approvals from state and local agencies before they can reach a land lease deal with the port.

“We don’t exactly know what the final plan is yet, but this pretty much lays out what we are planning,” A’s President Dave Kaval said.

“The biggest thing we’ve changed is that we have created a very large area to allow for the expansion of the maritime turning basin to make sure that our project doesn’t interfere in any way with the existing or future operations of the Port of Oakland,” Kaval said.

The new stadium would be built on the Oakland Estuary adjacent to Jack London Square and sit on the edge of the inner harbor’s turnaround basin, where ships — some as long as three football fields — reverse direction in a 1,500-foot-wide space.

Bar pilots had expressed concerns that the ballpark’s lights and fans in boats could be safety hazards. The pilots were also worried the development — which includes retail and housing as well as the stadium — would limit the future expansion of the basin to accommodate ever-bigger cargo ships.

The agreement, however, is only preliminary. The port has the right to reject or modify the project based on the findings of the upcoming environmental impact report, where concerns being raised by neighboring maritime business will be addressed.

“We are still concerned about the introduction of thousands of units of housing and a ballpark on the port operations and the impact on traffic congestion in the area,” said Mike Jacob, vice president of the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association.

Port and A’s officials estimate the stadium could bring 2 million visitors to the area annually and that the port would gain commercially from nationwide exposure during baseball telecasts.

Kaval said the team hopes to have the EIR “on the street” by summer and is still shooting to start building in 2021.

Others, however, say not so fast.

“This is definitely not over. The port has made clear that this is just a tentative first step,” Jacob said.

Municipal Transportation Agency Chief Ed Reiskin’s days were numbered after London Breed became mayor.

Photo: Jessica Christian / The Chronicle 2018

Muni exit: Truth be told, Ed Reiskin’s days as Muni chief were numbered the minute Mayor London Breed took office.

Reiskin’s laid-back style was a comfortable fit for the man who appointed him, former Mayor Ed Lee, but it didn’t sit well with Breed.

“He just wasn’t out there. The question kept coming up: ‘Where is Ed Reiskin?’” said one adviser to the mayor.

And it wasn’t just Reiskin.

Breed also felt that the governing board of the Municipal Transportation Agency, while moving forcefully on bike lanes and other projects, wasn’t concentrating hard enough on the day-to-day Muni service that is the backbone of the city.

The beginning of the end started last summer when the agency pulled buses and drivers from busy lines to run shuttles around the Twin Peaks Tunnel, which had been closed for a two-month retrofit. Worse yet, officials failed to explain the patchwork plan to riders, who were left fuming.

In the coming months, Reiskin saw the writing on the wall and let it be known to the mayor he would step aside when his contract expired in August.

It might have all been done quietly, but the recent Muni morning meltdown that forced thousands of commuters to walk or scramble for a ride to work put an end to that.

“Those were voters,” the adviser said.

Breed is facing re-election in November, and the filing deadline to run against her is June 11. She knows that two issues could draw potential opponents: the homeless and Muni.

She recently went bold on the homeless with her plan for a 200-bed Navigation Center on the Embarcadero.

Now she’s gone bold on Muni by publicly calling for a leadership change.

And while that probably won’t happen for several months, the public will see the mayor acting.

And unlike his predecessor, Nathaniel Ford, whose dismissal cost the city $567,595 in severance pay — under his agreement, Reiskin leaves when his contract is up.

District Attorney George Gasc—n during a news conference at the Hall of Justice on Thursday, March 7, 2019, in San Francisco, Calif. Gasc—n and state Assemblymember Phil Ting introduced AB 1076, a new proposed legislation that would automatically clear eligible criminal and arrest records in California.

Photo: Santiago Mejia, The Chronicle

Judicial junket: San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón will be hopping across the pond to Germany and Portugal this month for a two-week, firsthand look at European incarceration and drug decriminalization practices.

Gascón is one of 20 prosecutors taking the trip, all paid for by the Center for Court Innovation.

The first stop is Berlin for a look at Germany’s changing incarceration practices. Then on to Lisbon to “explore models of decriminalization and public health response to drug use,” something local officials have been advocating for years.

Given Gascón only has about eight months left on the job, it’s unclear which practices he learns about may be implemented here.

But its always good to see how other systems work. And the weather in Europe is nice this time of year.

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Phillip Matier appears Sundays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX-TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call 415-777-8815, or email pmatier@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @philmatier

Whether writing about politics or personalities, Phil Matier has informed and entertained readers for more than two decades about the always fascinating Bay Area and beyond. The blend of scoops, insights and investigative reporting can be found every Sunday, Monday and Wednesday in the Chronicle.